College Admissions Essay (Things to remember when writing your essay)

• Honesty is extremely important
• Be original
• Do not simply repeat information that you have already provided on your application
• Make sure your essay reflects who you are as an individual
• Let the admissions committee know what value you as a student can provide the school/university
• Don’t use big words or obscure vocabulary simply to impress the admissions committee
• Always follow guideline specifications which can include things such as font size, essay length, the essay topic, etc
• Grammatical problems, punctuation errors, and spelling mistake can severely hurt your chances of being accepted
• Keep all papers and documentation neat and clean

Getting Organized During the First Week of the Semester

Typically during the first week of classes your professors will hand out a syllabus. The syllabus is an outline or overview of all the things you will be learning and what will be expected of you during the course of the semester. It lets you know what chapters will be covered on each day, when assignments will be due, and when exams will be taken. Some of them even tell you when quizzes will be given.

At the very beginning of the semester it’s a good idea to “map” everything out. You can take the information from your syllabus (date by date) and write it in your weekly planner (I suggest every student to invest in a weekly planner and use it). Make sure that all of the dates on your syllabus and in your planner match up. You should do this for each of your classes. (Side Note: you are taking all of the information from all of your syllabi and writing it into one weekly planner) When you’re done you will have your entire semester mapped out.

Having all of your information in one location will help you with your time management throughout the semester. When thinking about due dates and exams, you’ll only have to reference your weekly planner rather than trying to go through five different syllabi. You can plan when you’re going to start working on projects and papers according to their due dates and whatever else you have going on in your other classes. Your weekly planner will also help you plan social activities around your school work.

The key is to stay organized throughout the course of the semester. With organization you’ll be able to smoothly get through the semester without a hitch.

Important Reminder: Please keep in mind that a syllabus is only a tentative schedule which is subject to change at any time.

Spring Semester 2011 Is Here

Spring semester is here so it’s time to buckle down once again.  It’s time to pull out those books, notebooks, pencils, pens, and more.  Another semester of hard work and long nights filled with papers, projects, and exams.  Are you ready?  Have you mentally prepared yourself?  We sure hope so because it’s time.

It’s Now Time to Start Preparing For The 2011-2012 School Year

The New Year is finally here!!!  Here at Your Academic Advisor we are so excited for what is to come in 2011.  We hope you are just as excited as we are.  With that said, it is now time to begin preparing for the 2011-2012 school year.  Yes that’s right we are already thinking about next school year and yet the spring semester just started.  It’s now time to fill out and submit your 2011-2012 FAFSA form.  The FAFSA form is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  Filing this form is the first step in the financial aid process.  To learn more information about FAFSA and the Financial Aid Process please see our Financial Aid Process page.

If you need assistance with the financial aid process please fill out the form on our Need Help page.  A representative from Your Academic Advisor would be happy to assist you.

Happy New Year and Happy Studies

5 Ways to Survive Your First Year of College

            Show up to class every day and be on time

Showing up for class is one of the simplest things you can do to make sure your college career is a success.  Yes, I know how hard it is to drag yourself out of bed to make it to that eight o’clock class in the morning.  You think to yourself “if only I could have just one more hour of sleep”.  Well, guess what.  If you don’t show up for class you are going to miss out on valuable information.  Your professor will break down the information that’s in your textbook as well as give you additional information that may not be in your book.  That additional information just might show up on the next exam.  In some classes your professor might give the occasional pop quiz.  If you don’t show up for class you will be missing out on those valuable points.

Not only do you need to show up for every class, but you also need to show up on time.  You don’t want your professor to remember you as the student who disrupts the class by showing up late.  Think back to those pop quizzes we talked about earlier, most professors give those pop quizzes at the beginning of class.  If you show up late there is a possibility that you will miss the quiz and it will be up to the discretion of the professor if you will be able to take the quiz later.

            Turn in all assignments complete and on time

Most professors will give out a syllabus on the first day of class.  Most of them try to abide by the schedule of the syllabus as best as they can throughout the semester.  This is an advantage for you the student.  With a syllabus you know when assignments are going to be due and you can plan accordingly.  When the details of the assignment are given, you’ll want to get started right away working on it everyday until the assignment is complete.  If you procrastinate you will find yourself rushing to get things done at the last moment.

            Study, Study, Study

Pulling an all-nighter the night before the exam is never fun.  This method does not allow you to retain the information.  Most exams cover way too much information for you to really study enough material to pass your exam with an A.  It’s a more valuable use of you time to study everyday and after every class session.  When you study after every class session you are able to embed the information into your memory while it is still fresh in your brain and when you study everyday you will keep the information fresh and present in your mind.  With this method you will be able to get some sleep the night before the exam so you are well rested and alert. 

            Do make time for social activity, but don’t over do it

It is extremely important to have a social life while in college.  You will want to get involved in campus activities and make new friends.  Your social life allows you to network with other students who are going to be your future co-workers.  Making valuable connections with people on your campus will help you in the future.  These days it’s not all about what you know, but sometimes it’s also about who you know.

Although social activity is important, you don’t need to show up to every social event.  You don’t want to be out parting every night when you have papers to write, projects to complete, and studying to do.  Social activity should never take away from your education.

            Get to know your professors

Your professors see hundreds of students in their classrooms everyday.  You are just a number.  You’re just another name on the roster until you do something to stand out from the crowd.  Whatever you do to stand out from the crowd, just make sure you stand out in a positive way.  You’ll want to sit in the front of the classroom not in the back.  If you sit in the back they may never notice your face.  You’ll want to answer questions, ask questions, and participate in classroom discussions.  Many professors will show up to class early or stay late to speak with students.  You may want to take advantage of that time.  Most professors will have office hours available where students can speak with them one-on-one outside of the classroom.  This is a great time for students to seek extra help with projects, talk about what’s going on in class, etc.  Showing up during office hours shows the professor that you are a dedicated student and you are serious about your education.

An Example Plan

Here is an example plan for someone who is interested in working in the field of education.  (REMEMBER: This is just an example.  Your plan may need to be a bit more detailed.  It may need to include more steps, or even less steps.) 

Ultimate Goal:  To become a school principal

Short-term Goal Breakdown:

1.      Go to college

a.       Decide to go to college

b.      Choose a college that is the best fit for me

c.       Get accepted

d.      Find free money for school

e.       Go to class everyday and be on time

f.        Complete all assignments and study for all exams

2.      Tutoring

a.       Afterschool tutoring at a local high school, middle school, elementary school

b.      Tutor my friends

                                                                           i.      If they are taking a class that I have already taken and done well in (I should have received a grade A or B in that course to consider myself having had done well)

c.       Sign up to become a tutor for the athletic department at my school

3.      Do some observations

a.       Choose several different teachers from different schools and maybe even different subjects and grade levels.  Sit in the back of their classroom and just observe them for a few days.  This will teach me so much and it will help me in deciding what grade level I want to teach and even what subject would be best for me to teach.  (I must remember to get permission from the teacher and their principal before doing any observations)

4.      Student teaching

a.       Student teaching will give me real life experience in the class room.

b.      Typically student teachers will do some observations the first four to six weeks or so.  Then they will begin to take over teaching some of the material and eventually they may feel as if this is their classroom because they’re doing all the teaching and the actual teacher is observing and giving them tips on how to improve.

c.       Learn everything I possibly can from my mentor teacher.

5.      Graduate from college

a.       Hip-Hip-Hooray!!! I did it!!!  Now it’s time to find a job

6.      Get a job teaching

a.       I should actually be applying for jobs during my last year in college

b.      Many times the school in which individuals do their student teaching will hire them for a full time position as long as there is a need to fill a position and the individual has proven themselves worthy while doing their student teaching.

7.      Work in the school system as a teacher for a few years while I continue to further my education

a.       Become familiar with the school system

b.      Be the best teacher I can be

c.       Make sure all of my students excel in my classroom and have the necessary resources needed to move on to the next grade level

d.      Always be prepared for work

e.       Take control of my classroom

8.      Acquire a principal certification

9.      Get a job as a principal

a.       Congratulations!!!  I have reached my ultimate goal.

10.  Set new goals

Developing a Plan of Action

First and foremost you should have an ultimate goal.

What is your passion???  Think first about your talents and interests.  Then research careers that incorporate those skill sets.  You want to make sure to choose a career that you will love.  Remember, this will be something that you are going to do everyday for the rest of your life.  This is a huge decision that you don’t want to take lightly.

If you’re interested in chemistry, biology, anatomy, etc. then you may want to take interest in a medical career.  Let’s say you choose to become a doctor.  Well, that’s good and all but now you need to also think about what kind of doctor you want to be.  Do you want to be a pediatrician, a gynecologist, a surgeon, you get my drift.  The narrower your ultimate goal the more focused your plan will be.  Now don’t get me wrong, if you choose to become a pediatrician and somewhere down the line you decide being a dermatologist would be a better fit for you, it’s okay to alter your goals a little.

Now that you have an ultimate goal, you need to find out what it will take to achieve it.  You’ll want to develop some short-term goals that will help you along the way.

This is when you figure out what path you need to take in order to achieve your goals.  If you’re going to become a pediatrician you will need a college education.  Not only are you going to have to complete some undergraduate coursework, but you will also need to attend medical school.  It is your responsibility to figure out all the necessary steps it will take to ultimately become the best pediatrician you can be.  While you do this research on what it takes to become a pediatrician you may discover that you don’t want to go through all that rigorous schooling.  If that’s the case you may want to consider other career paths that will be better suited for you.  Because you have decided to plan your life before jumping into school, you have alleviated the stress of having to change your major later on in your college career.

After deciding on an ultimate goal, figuring out the path in which will allow you to achieve that goal, and developing some short-term goals that will help you along the way, you now need to implement your plan and stick with it.

Once you have chosen to go to college, you have chosen a major, and you have signed up for your freshmen courses, you will now have to discipline yourself to go to class, do your homework, study for exams, and pass your classes.  At times you may want to sleep in instead of going to that eight o’clock class in the morning.  You may even want to go out to the club with your friends and have a good time instead of writing that paper and studying for your test.  Just remember this is your future in which you are shaping.  You may even get super stressed out at times and want to quite, give up, and go back home where life seems to be easier.  Just remember, this is your future in which you are shaping.  Make sure you reference back to your plan and focus on your short-term goals whenever you get discouraged.

Some students choose to go off to college without a clue as to what they want to do with their lives.  These students who don’t choose a major upon entering college are classified as “undecided”.  This path will allow students to focus more on the general education courses until the student can figure something out.  During that time the student can see what kind of coursework interests them the most.  Maybe the math courses interest them more, or maybe it’s the science courses, or even the health courses.  They can then choose a major of study based upon the coursework that interests them the most.  While this method is doable, it can cause the student to waist both time and money on unnecessary coursework.  Would I recommend going to college without a plan??? NO!!!!!  I would highly suggest for you to have a plan.  No matter what you plan on doing with your life; please, please, please, I beg of you to figure out some sort of plan even if that plan does not include a college education.